In hybrid vehicle systems, an internal combustion engine may be combined with one or more batteries (and electric motor-generators) to form hybrid powertrains. In some configurations, the internal combustion engine may propel the front wheels while the batteries may propel the rear wheels via a motor. Current batteries, such as lithium ion batteries, may experience decreased performance when the ambient air temperature or the battery cell temperature is below a certain cold temperature such as below negative 8 degrees Celsius. The decreased performance will lead to decreased hybrid functionality such as regeneration operations and start/stop functionality. The decreased battery performance may lead to decreased all wheel drive functionality when the rear wheels are driven by a hybrid battery, such as a lithium ion battery. To improve battery performance, some hybrid systems have plug-in resistance-type heaters which warm the batteries when the hybrid battery system is plugged in for charging the batteries. However, in many locations, such as airport and other commercial and private parking lots, plug-in charging units are not available. Additionally, plug-in capability may not be offered on all hybrid models or may not connect to a battery heater. On other systems, users may let the vehicle idle to increase component temperatures, however, with lithium ion batteries, the batteries do not generally warm up while the internal combustion engine is running.